Football season is just around the corner here in East Tennessee and one
perennial powerhouse is
deciding to start off its season with a thank
you.
The Maryville Rebels formally welcomed the public to its
newly renovated football stadium Saturday evening. Over the course of
six months, Maryville High School installed a new AstroTurf field, a
video board and a "Wall of Fame" to honor past successful teams.
According
to Maryville Athletic Director George Quarles, the renovations cost
$500,000 to complete. He said the city of Maryville lent the school the
money.
"We had an overuse issue with our field," Quarles said.
"Our field was getting so much use whether it was the high school using
it, or the middle school, or our midget leagues. It wasn't going to get
any better."
Quarles said the school plans to pay back the city with donations collected from its "Red to Black" Campaign.
"We
were trying to pay off our debt," he said. "The city loaned us the
money to pay for our field with the understanding that we would use the
video board and donations and any other revenue that we have coming in
to help pay that off."
Maryville's first regular season game at
its renovated stadium will be Sunday, Aug. 26 against Alcoa High School.
The game will be nationally televised by ESPN.
Brian Coulter, a senior, said he is excited to play his final season on the new field.
"Just
all the new changes this year, it's really exciting," Coulter said.
"I'm really optimistic for the things that are going to happen this
year."